Please help me with my college decision?

Domino789
Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:18:24 +0000

I know it seems like everyone is doing this, but I need some serious help. My family and I have been stressing over this decision for months, going back and forth between each college. Also, I have a boyfriend who was long distance in high school so that’s something else i have to consider. I’m just asking for some insight. The following are my choices and the pros/cons:

Wash U in St. Louis: pros- great academics, all the programs I am interested in. I would fit in well with the students (im not a partier or a sorority girl) and I would get the experience I’m looking for (I went to a very bad high school, the teacher wanted to be anywhere but teaching and the students were underachieving and superficial; in college I want to make deep connections with inspiring professors and intelligent peers). I like the location of being a contained campus on ear a city, and the campus is beautiful. Cons - extremely expensive; would make my parents, who are nearing retirement, uncomfortable, as well as out me somewhat into debt; that leads to less options about graduate school (on that note I don’t know what I want to do. Business or engineering, but I’m not sure) I would not be with my boyfriend, I’m not sure how much more long distance we can take honestly.

ASU Barrett- pros: inexpensive, close to home, boyfriend is going there. Cons - just like high school? I don’t want to be just a number either. There is less flexibility with such a huge bureaucracy. I heard its just a diploma mill, not sure about Barrett though. Asu is a party school…opposite of me. I know several people (like my sister) who graduated from Barrett and could not get a job. Asu’s only goal is money,
They ultimately want to have 100,000 undergraduates.

University of Alabama honors : pros- theyre offering me a free ride, beautiful dorms, million dollar band is great (I would obviously join it), administration that seems to care more about students than money. Cons - not the best academics, not sure about how prestigious it is, lacks a lot of the programs I’m interested in (biomedical engineering, neuroscience)

Hopefully I got everything. I would appreciate greatly any advice anyone has to offer. Thank you.